FUTURES Foundation Names 2022 First Year Teacher Award Recipients

FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools announced its 2022 First Year Teacher Award recipients during its annual recognition celebration April 28 at the Museum of Arts & Sciences.  Dayeashia Viel, a second-grade teacher at Palm Terrace Elementary School in Daytona  Beach, received the Elementary level First Year Teacher Award while Shannon Tucker, an ESE teacher at Silver Sands Middle School in Port Orange, received the Secondary level First Year Teacher Award. This year’s reception was co-sponsored by FUTURES Foundation and Volusia United Educators (VUE).

Ms. Viel and Ms. Tucker were selected for their awards from 54 nominees who were chosen to represent their schools. To be considered for the recognition, nominees must have earned a Baccalaureate degree, started a full-time teaching career on or after Jan. 1, 2021, performed outstandingly based on standards established by the Volusia County Schools and been nominated by their school principal.

In recommending Ms. Viel for this award, Palm Terrace Elementary Principal Tucker Harris stated, “Ms. Viel consistently immerses herself in content based professional development on a site-based level, district level, and state level to provide the very best instructional opportunities to her students. When the school day ends, Ms. Viel plays a key role in motivating our youth by mentoring students to provide them with leadership and communication skills to be their very best every day.”

An Elementary Education graduate of Bethune Cookman University, she understands the role she plays in the Volusia County Schools Vision Statement. “Create life-long learners for an ever-changing global society sounds simple and honestly it can be depending on your perspective, and amount of work you put in to support the vision. The way that I see this vision is, I must create a fun, hands on, loving and positive learning atmosphere where scholars want to be so that when it’s time to go off and move up, they are ready to take on the next grade level and the world.”

In nominating Ms. Tucker for the secondary level award, Silver Sands Middle School Principal Dr. Rick Inge stated, “Ms. Tucker has self-contained classes. She does not view their disability as a hinderance to accomplish grade level expectations.  She sees this as an opportunity to challenge negative perceptions and break barriers that have caused students to lack success in previous year.”

Prior to becoming a teacher, Ms. Tucker worked in public safety before following her dream of becoming a teacher. “My lifelong dream was to become a teacher so that I could make a lasting but more importantly a meaningful and positive impact within the community in which I live”. 

“FUTURES Foundation is honored to sponsor this annual awards program and celebration for these amazing new teachers,” said Heather Bond Vargas, President of FUTURES Foundation. “The continuing pandemic offered more than the usual challenges for brand new teachers and each of these 54 nominees excelled in their first year. We are proud to recognize their efforts and host this annual recognition program. We appreciate the Volusia United Educators in joining us in sponsoring the event’s reception.”

As each nominee was recognized onstage, Christy Mahaney, Coordinator of Volusia County Schools Recruitment and Retention, provided insights into each nominee’s enthusiasm and dedication to their students. Nominees heard from district leaders and other special guests including Brian Levine and Shane Story, the 2021 Elementary and Secondary First Year Teachers Award recipients, respectively, who presented the 2022 awards to Ms. Viel and Ms. Tucker.

FUTURES Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to support Volusia County Schools. Its mission is to engage business and civic leaders to promote and achieve educational excellence for Volusia County Public Schools. The Foundation’s 32-member board of directors consists of area business and civic leaders who direct and raise funds to facilitate a variety of programs in the school district. Through business and individual donations, FUTURES Foundation presents programs such as the First Year Teacher Awards. For additional information about FUTURES, please contact Executive Director Cynthia Ramirez at 386.255.6475, ext. 50730, or caperric@volusia.k12.fl.us, or visit its website at www.FUTURESVolusia.org.

This year’s 34 Elementary First Year Teacher nominees include: 

Patricia Clunis – Blue Lake Elementary

Tara Vickers – Champion Elementary

Ashlee Killeen McCombs – Chisholm Elementary

Andrew Fick – Citrus Grove Elementary

Vedda Kangalova-Lloyd – Cypress Creek Elementary

Jordan Shasteen – DeBary Elementary

Alexis Richardson – Discovery Elementary

Krystal Freer – Edgewater Public School

Dashia R. Haws – Edith I. Starke Elementary

Rowyn Willis – Enterprise Elementary

Mayra Lara-Cotto – Forest Lake Elementary

Hannah Pasch - Freedom Elementary

Kristi Dalquest – George W. Marks Elementary

Erin Buck – Horizon Elementary

Jason M. Joyner – Indian River Elementary

Melanie Scibilia – Louise S. McInnis Elementary

Hailey Whitten-Connolly – Manatee Cove Elementary

Yvonne Clark – Orange City Elementary

Ryan Moore – Ormond Beach Elementary

Dayeashia Viel – Palm Terrace Elementary

Claudio Paulino – Pierson Elementary

Alexis Mastrangelo – Pine Trail Elementary

Brittney Roberts – Port Orange Elementary

Elizabeth Hill – Pride Elementary

Shaley Roland – South Daytona Elementary

Amelia VanWinkle – Spirit Elementary

Anamari Cork – Spruce Creek Elementary

Kiersten Beckford – Sunrise Elementary

Shelby Cravotta – Sweetwater Elementary

Katrina Daniel – Timbercrest Elementary

Ashleigh Dawson – Tomoka Elementary

Kevin Morris – Turie T. Small Elementary

Jessica Richardson – Volusia Pines Elementary

Stephanie Wolford – Woodward Avenue Elementary

 

 

This year’s 20 Secondary First Year Teacher nominees include:

Michelle Lee Johnson – Atlantic High

Rebekah Cottle – Campbell Middle

Stacy Rizzo – DeLand High

Austin Halterman – DeLand Middle

Taylor Grace – Deltona High

Jenifer Bodine – Deltona Middle

Jeffrey Garcia – Galaxy Middle

Olin Gee – Holly Hill School K-8

Tamar Keshishian – Mainland High

Hope Cannon – New Smyrna Beach High

Haley Meiselman – New Smyrna Beach Middle

Kristine Reed – Ormond Beach Middle

Sarah Strickland – Pine Ridge High

Jason Gussow – River Springs Middle

Jill Vanderoef – Seabreeze High

Shannon Tucker – Silver Sands Middle

Cassandra G. Dotson – Southwestern Middle

Allyson Jones – Spruce Creek High

Shea Smith-Osterkamp – T. Dewitt Taylor Middle-High

Kaila Cain – University High